How fast will a car be moving at a certain point?

[vitaly]

I have a problem I'm trying to figure out. To see the problem and picture, please go to problem #10 at this site: http://www.compadre.org/psrc/evals/IPO_2003_Multiple_Choice.pdf.

The problem says, A roller coaster car moves along a track as shown. At point A, the car is moving with a speed of 10 m/s. If friction is negligible, about how fast would the car be moving at point B?

If you don't have PDF, I'll try to explain the scenario:

The car is at Point A, which is 50 m above the ground. It is traveling at 10 m/s.

Then the rollercoaster curves downwards to an un-named point which is 10 m above the ground.

From that point, it curves upwards to point B which is 30 m above the ground.

 

[dextercioby]

HINT:Apply the law of conservation of total mechanical energy.

Daniel.

 

[thepatientmental]

Based on the information provided, it is not possible to determine the exact speed of the car at point B. However, we can make some assumptions and estimations to approximate the speed.

Firstly, we know that the car is initially traveling at a speed of 10 m/s at point A. As it moves along the track, it will experience a decrease in speed due to the force of gravity pulling it down. This force will depend on the angle and shape of the track, as well as the mass of the car.

Next, at point B, the car is 30 m above the ground, which is higher than the 10 m height at the un-named point. This means that the car has to gain back the potential energy it lost while going down the track. This will require a certain amount of speed and force.

Without knowing the specific details of the track and the car, it is difficult to calculate the exact speed at point B. However, we can estimate that the speed at point B will be less than 10 m/s, but greater than 0 m/s. This is because the car has to regain some of its lost speed in order to reach the 30 m height at point B.

In conclusion, the speed of the car at point B will be influenced by factors such as the shape of the track, the mass of the car, and the force of gravity. Without more information, we can only make estimations about the speed at point B.